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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛЮТИЙ 201 2 WWW. UNWLA.ORG 31 Stefan Szkafarowsky My Brother the Opera Singer by Olia Rudyk I remember sitting in the double parked car on West 73 rd Street in New York City. It wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last. My brother was having his weekly voice lesson with Maestro Eugene Krahno. I so enjoyed being there to listen, but tonight, with no parking spot available, I had to mind the car and avoid a ticket. Maestro Krahno and his wife , Madame Klavdiya Taranova , were characters to say the least; true artists in every respect. They employed the tra ditional It alian vocal teaching method of bel canto . (This technique inv olves specific exercises and training devised to enhance the students’ breath support, dexterity, range , and technical control.) This style had gained popularity in Italy during the 19 th century. With composers such as Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini , and Gaetano Donizetti creating bravura works for the stage, musicologists would later term this period of opera history as the “ bel canto era .” After WWII with such artists as Maria Callas, Joan Suther land , and Beverly Sills appearing on the scene with ac quired bel canto technique, its popularity resurged in the 1950 s. Maestro Krahno and Madame Taranova instructed many students in this manner at the Ukrain - ian Music Institute of New York City and believed the end result would be a more sophisticated, pleas ing, well - focused timbre. Through them, Stefan and I learned the true meaning of the word “ passion. ” At only 15 years old, Stefan was too young to take a subway on his own to Manhattan from our home in Yonkers, NY. Being three years older with a driver’s license, I became his chauffer more often than not, as our father viewed these lessons a waste of time. Ever since the nuns at Holy Trinity Grammar School in Yonkers, NY , discov ered my brother’s voice during choir practice, they were relentlessly after my father to send Stefan for professional voice training. They believed he had a gift from God which should not be wasted. A true old - fashioned immigrant, who believed in hard toil as the way to success, my father didn’t see the possibilities of a career in the entertainment industry and ignored them. At Stefan’s eighth grade graduation, the Principal of Holy Trinity Grammar School prepared Stefan for a solo number , and the audience rose to their feet applauding wildly when he belted out his last note. Yet, o ur father was still not convinced. NO!!! A singing career was no life for his son as far as he was concerned. Luckily, our mother thought differently. She had come to the United States at the age of 13 in 1950 and learned English quickly by spending her ev enings in movie theat e rs and by reading comic books and fashion maga - zines. She was a true starry - eyed teenager: she wore jeans and teased her hair , and styled it in the era’s iconic beehive. She fell in love with Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain , Bette D avis and Ann Baxter in All About Eve, and Jane Powell and Howard Keel in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers . Then of course there were Hollywood greats she dreamt of meeting one day such as Frankie Avalon, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe , and Natalie Wood. Her own personal talents lay in her fingertips. She was a fabulous cook and baker, worked as a hair dresser , and volunteered as a seamstress in the theater. Over the next few decades, she designed and created many costumes for programs staged by the local Ukra inian School and the branch of the ________________________________________ Stefan Szkafarowsky in the role of Zaccaria in Nabucco , Santiago, Chile, with daughter Alexandra Szkafarowsky (left), and niece Adrianna Rudyk - Odomirok (right), June 27, 2000.
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